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20 - Negotiation
It didn’t take long for Jia to swear off riding in a car ever again, at least when it came to riding shotgun. Idling in the backseat where she couldn’t see most of the road was fine, but sitting in the front and feeling the dangerous proximity of every single other two-ton machine on the road made her feel sick to her stomach.
She closed her eyes every time the car in front of them suddenly pressed their brakes, and wondered if her fate was to die of an unfortunate rear-ending after everything she had been through in her life. And every time Atlas changed lanes, she held her breath, waiting for the inevitable fatal collision with some other unwitting driver.
But the worst were the massive tractor trailers that occasionally trundled along beside them like deceptively docile T-rexes. Jia stared out the darkened window at a white sheet of studded steel just above the gigantic tires that could crush Atlas’s sleek Lamborghini into scrap metal. She wonder
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In the Shadow of the CEO 21 - Reservations
Jia had never been to the airport before, but if asked, she would have adamantly insisted that there was no such thing as a special terminal for VIP passengers only. Surely they had to come through the same dog door just as everyone else did, even if they happened to also have a celebrity’s welcome waiting for them once they disembarked.She was, of course, completely wrong.The Lamborghini coasted down a road that forked just ahead, with one lane leading into the airport pick-up area and the other going off in some other mysterious, winding direction marked only with a bland, forgettable sign: “616 DESIGNATED PICKUP.” It was cryptic and vague; on a dark night, she wouldn’t have ever chosen to wander that way.But of course, that was the lane that Atlas chose to take, because why not. At least it was broad daylight right now - if some modern day highway bandits were lying in wait for some unsuspecting driver to come alo
In the Shadow of the CEO 22 - Dolores Munson
How much did private jets cost, anyway?Jia didn’t think she wanted to know, frankly. Rich people with their luxuries that cost more than all the food it would take to feed the poverty-stricken in the city - she had to stop herself from physically shaking her head in disapproval. She marveled at her promised salary of a hundred thousand a year, and if not for the immense medical debt that still needed paying, she knew she would have money left over after the essentials. So how much did people who owned private jets make, and how could they possibly spend all of their income with so little remaining to share with others?She glanced sideways at Atlas, who was staring straight ahead and far too focused on the now-silent aircraft to notice her. She wondered briefly how much he made and whether he owned one as well. That would figure, she snorted inwardly. He seemed just the type to own several actually, even if he didn’t use them. Clearly
In the Shadow of the CEO 23 - Wretched
The men standing in front of the air stairs politely refused Jia entry until, faced with no other immediate options, she began to loudly call for Mark’s attention from the ground. The jet’s clamshell door was still open, and she could clearly hear the string of loud complaints and a cacophony of clinking glass bottles from inside.“Mark, I’m coming up!” she announced, making sure that her voice would carry up the stairs and into the cabin. Though she didn’t often flaunt it, she knew how to project her voice after years of working in busy food service establishments, and Mark must have heard her even past the racket he was currently enduring. “Tell them to let me in!”“Everything - stop that, please let go - everything’s fine here, Jia! We’ve got it all under control - ow!”“I don’t think that’s true, Mark, so if you could just let me help -”“Leave me alone, I own everything in her
In the Shadow of the CEO 24 - Sober
“Thanks, Mark. We’ll take care of her from here. And, um, good work.” Jia carefully patted the man on the single dry patch of his suit jacket. He reeked of rich wine even now despite having spent the last ten minutes airing himself out while Jia wrestled the half-comatose Dolly into the cramped backseat of Atlas’s car.Why had he brought a sports car knowing he would be carrying three passengers? It had just enough room to seat two; the backseat shouldn’t even qualify as anything other than maybe an oversized cup holder. There were talents roaming around Pandora’s lobby right now carrying purses that were bigger.“I…”“It’s fine, Mark,” she assured him before he could finish his stumbling sentence. “Mr. Grayson and I are on a bit of a schedule, so we’ll go ahead and leave, okay?”He made a vaguely assenting but also reluctant sound that Jia suspected she shouldn’t unpack. She wanted to get out of here.
In the Shadow of the CEO 25 - Normal
It was like walking into something straight out of a Lifestyles of the Rich and Famous magazine foldout.Jia tried hard not to stare at the luxurious furnishings that filled the room. On the side of the penthouse she had just entered, there were plush sofas and couches angled around a massive television that was wider than she was tall. Another few paces revealed a sleek electric fireplace on the floor below the screen as well. The digitally simulated flames were already going, and she remembered that Atlas had instructed Lydia to set up a team to clean the place before their arrival.She wondered briefly how the other woman was doing, but decided to hold that thought for later when Dolly made a suspicious retching sound in the back of her throat. Oh, no, she wouldn’t, Jia thought with gritted teeth. With the intoxicated woman’s arm hooked over her shoulder, she dragged the stumbling woman toward the narrow hallway off to the side. There had to be a bedroom
In the Shadow of the CEO 26 - Iconic
“In one hundred feet. Turn. Left.”There was something about the sultry woman’s voice slithering from the car’s speakers that made Jia highly uncomfortable. Crammed into the backseat like this (the semi-sober Dolly was riding shotgun now), Jia could feel the reverberations of the GPS directions fluttering around her ears. Thankfully, they were in a slightly less packed (and less popular) part of the city, and she could see an empty spot by the curb where they could park on the street. Soon, she’d be rid of the artificial female voice for at least a little while -“What is this place, Ms. Moon.”Atlas’s voice cut through the vehicle’s tiny interior like a frozen scythe, and she turned her head slightly to look at him instead of the street ahead through the windshield. While she wasn’t an expert on the man’s habits yet, she was certain that that definitely wasn’t an impressed inflection to his words she was hearing. He only had about three typic
In the Shadow of the CEO 27 - Missing
Jia studiously avoided paying any attention to Atlas, who sat on the other side of the booth with a visibly unsettled aura about him. Dolly, on the other hand, was sitting next to her and poring intently over an oversized, laminated tri-fold menu in her hands. Her knee bounced under the table.“I think they’re all good,” Jia said, opting for a safe, neutral answer to the question the woman had just asked. “Lamb burger, maybe?”Dolly flipped the page. “East Coast French Chicken Burger,” she read aloud, ignoring Jia’s suggestion. “What exactly about this entree is French? I don’t know half of these ingredients - I’ve never even heard of this sauce.”Jia leaned over to look at the description. “Blueberry chipotle barbecue sauce,” she read. “Oh, that’s a local favorite. You’d love it. I’ve heard it tastes great with the uncured bacon and avocado relish.”“That’s not French at all,” Dolly repeated, but she pulled the menu closer and squinted at the en
In the Shadow of the CEO 28 - Secrets
“What do you mean, she’s gone? I thought you two have the same sixth period class? Didn’t you see her?”Jia was huddled in the corridor that led to the restrooms, taking refuge in the dimly lit corner and speaking at a volume only slightly louder than a hushed whisper. Why was the music here so loud, she thought in rising irritation. She plugged her other ear with her index finger, struggling to hear her brother on the other end of the line.“Yeah. She was there.”His words sounded clipped. Was he nervous, or was he just rushing the conversation to get off the phone?“How did you find out she skipped seventh?”“It wasn’t like that. I was heading for the Mathletes meeting after dismissal, and someone told me she hoped Jini feels better soon.”Jia gripped the cell phone so tightly she thought she could hear it creaking in her hand. “She’s not sick,” she said firmly. “She was fine this morning when you two left to get o
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- In the Shadow of the CEO Author's Note
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- In the Shadow of the CEO 91 - Trees and Forests
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